Marley Nelson is state qualifier

Thief River Falls junior Marley Nelson earned a state meet spot with a first place school record time in the 100-yard breaststroke during the 2016 Section 8A girls high school swimming and diving championships held Friday and Saturday at Bemidji.

Nelson, after turning in a third place 1:13.64 in the Friday prelims, came back with a 1:09.51 in the next-day finals. That broke a school mark by Chelsea Haviland that stood for 18 years.

State competition will be Nov. 16-18 at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center in Minneapolis.

Team-wise, Bemidji won its sixth straight section title with a 421-384.5 margin over runner-up Detroit Lakes. Thief River Falls finished seventh in the 11-team field with 139 points.

Top 16 places in the Friday prelims advanced to the Saturday swims – places 1-8 in the championship finals; places 9-16 in the consolation group.

“The girls tapered really well and lost time from Friday to Saturday,” said Thief River Falls coach Danielle Spiten, who added that most of the Prowlers had significant time drops.

Joining Nelson in the Section 8A championship finals were Annika Dalager, a freshman who placed fifth in the 100-yard backstroke, along with the 400 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams.

Nelson, Dalager, senior Rylie Steiger and sophomore Raegan Espe teamed up on both relays. They finished fourth in the 200 medley and sixth in the 200 freestyle.

Steiger and fellow-senior Wynn Klamm both ended their high school careers with personal-best times, pointed out Spiten.